Parachute pack stiffening means



March 1949- s. w. SEVERANCE ET AL PARACHUTE PACK STIFFENING MEANS FiledMarch 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Spencer "(Severance Joseph Jfizzzkowski TORNEYS March 1949. s. w. SEVERANCE ETAL 2,463,914

PARACHUTE PACK STIFFENING MEANS Filed March 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet z h;30 g V 2 8 INVENTORS Spencer Wfieverance BY Joseph J Rzpkows/ri ATORNEYS Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PARACHUTE PACKSTIFFENING MEANS Application March 8, 1946, Serial No. 652,935

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to parachutes.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of a back pack whichis so constructed that it will possess the advantages of a soft packwithout the disadvantages and will at the same time possess theadvantages of a stifiened pack without the disadvantages.

It is another object of the invention to so construct the pack that itsform will be maintained by stiflening means and yet it will present acushion like portion to the wearers back in contradistinction to therigid character of the back engaging portion of packs currently in use.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a packthat possesses the above advantages and which, while it fits thecurvature oi the body of the user, will permit him freedom of movementwithout interference.

Another object of the invention resides in so constructing the packthat, while there will be presented to the back of the user a cushionlike portion, the contents of the pack, particularly the canopy, will bemaintained in its original packed condition and will be prevented fromshifting toward the bottom of the pack.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a packwhich is provided with a stiffening frame which is included in the packbut removed from the back engaging portion and which is provided withpockets for the canopy to maintain them in their original packedcondition and against shifting.

Even more specifically it is an object of this invention to providemeans which will maintain the pack in its packed form and yet willpermit freedom of movement by the user, and which will maintain theelastic flap opening lines against displacement.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription of the invention progresses, the invention includes thecombination and arrangement of elements described in the specification,illustrated in the drawings and recited in the claims.

As the invention is admirably adapted for incorporation in a back packit will be so described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a pack constructed in accordance with theinvention;

Figure 2 is an edge or side elevation of the pack;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section on line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an elevation of one form of stiffening frame;

Figure 7 is an elevation of one modified form of stiffening frame;

Figure 8 is an elevation of another modified form of the stifieningframe; and

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view.

Referring now to the drawings the cover of the pack includes a back orbody engaging portion I, to which are attached top and bottom flaps 2and 3 and side flaps 4 and 5 which latter overlie the end flaps and oneof which overlaps the other. These side flaps 4 and 5 are securedtogether by the usual cone fasteners 6 and rip cord 8, and they are alsoprovided With the usual opening elastic cords such as 9 and 10 whichextend around the pack and are at their ends secured to the flaps asshown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing. These elastic cords are,however, associated with the pack in a special manner as will be pointedout.

The back I of the pack is provided with transverse grooves, the numberof which may vary but which are indicated in the drawing as two, II andI2, the provision of the grooves also resulting in partitions l3 and M'to form pockets l5, l6 and l l for receipt of the canopy I 8 and thesuspension lines l9 which lead to the risers 20 of the harness. Thesepartitions may be of the desired distances apart. It has been found,however, that to locate the partition H at about or slightly below thewaist line of the user and to locate the partition I3 at or about theshoulder blades results in a convenient, comfortable and advantageousarticulation of the pack.

While of course the back I of the pack in the form described may beconstructed by several methods, it has been found advantageous toconstruct it by forming what shall be termed gussets 2|, such asillustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings. Each gusset is preferably, butnot necessarily, U-shaped in cross section and is curved inwardly as at22 to conform to the shape of the back of the user, which inwardlycurved portion results in extended portion 23 which will lie at the sideof the back of the user. The sections 24, 25 and 26 of the back portionof the pack cover are secured to the edges of the gussets as bystitching for example, and thus cause the back portion to take thetransverse form of the back of the user, providing at the same timelongitudinal pockets 2! which intersect the pockets l6, l1 and I8, andare for the reception of the adjacent portions of the canopy and thebight portions of the folded suspension lines, as shown in the drawings.

When the edges 22 of the gussets are made straight instead of curved, asillustrated, the back engaging portion of the pack will be flat insteadof curved which, of course, will merge the longitudinal pockets with thetransverse pockets to a greater extent than when the gusset edges arecurved.

This pack is provided with a stiffening frame which, however, willpermit the pack to bend or articulate with the movements of the user.

In Figure 6 of the drawings the frame includes side bars 28, a bottomsection 29 and upper and lower cross bars 38 and 3| respectively, thetop and bottom cross bars being secured to or made integral with theside bars, the lower or bottom section 29 being hinged at 32 to thelower cross bar 3|. In this case the lower section 29 is preferably madein one piece of integral or connected material. An upper section 33,which is constituted, preferably, by two pieces of material, is hingedat 34 to the upper cross bar 39.

The above referred to elements of the frame lie substantially in a planeand are made, preferably, of resilient material such as wire.

When incorporated in the pack the top and bottom sections 33 and 29respectively lie within the pack as do also the side bars 28 asillustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, while the cross bars 36 and 3|lie in the grooves II and I2, there being notches 35 provided at theends of the gussets to accommodate the connection of the cross bars tothe side bars of the frame.

It will be noted that the elastic cords S and iii are located in thegrooves at the back of the pack and pass over the sides of the frame totheir points of securement to the flaps 4 and 5.

In the form of frame shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, the constructionof the frame is sub-- stantially the same as that described inconnection with Figure 6, except that the lower or bottom section 29 ismade up of two elements hinged at 32' to the cross bar 3i, there beingthe side bars 28 and the upper section 33 hinged to the upper or topcross bar 38 as in Figure 6.

In the form of frame shown in Figure 8 all) there are the cross bars 36and 3!, side bars 23:

which, however, are made up of separate elements as shown rigid with thecross bars. This form also includes an upper section 33 which is made upof separate elements rigid with the upper cross bar 36, and a lower orbottom section 29" which; i

likewise is constituted by separate elements rigid with the lower orbottom cross bar 3!.

The cross bars in these various forms are located in the pack, asdescribed in connection with Figure 6, as are also the side bars andupper and,

lower sections.

All forms of the frame may, of course, and preferably are, formed ofresilient material such as Wire.

In the various forms the sides of the frame are 4 bers, return to theirinitial position to preserve the form of the pack.

In the forms shown in Figures 6 and '7 the upper ends of the members 33are bent forwardly toward the shoulders of the user so that when theback is bent the upper end of the pack will follow and have noobjectionable projections at the shoulder.

When the canopy and suspension lines are packed the flaps are thrownopen, the elastic cords having been released, thus exposing the insideof the back of the pack to the packer.

The suspension lines are then laid back and forth across the packtransversely and within the pocket H, the bight portions of the linesbeing held by the usual keepers. The portions of the lines adjacent thespirit of the canopy are then carried across the partition M into thepocket l6 and the canopy then folded back and forth in the pockets Itand I5 over the partition [3. In packing the canopy a greater portion isdistributed in the longitudinal pockets 2? and at the sides of the packthan at the intervening portion of the pack, thus causing the pack totake the back conforming shape illustrated in Figure 4.

The flaps are then closed in the usual manner and secured by the conefasteners and rip cord, and in closing the flaps the canopy andsuspension lines are of course compressed as is usual in packing.

Finally the elastic cords 9 and it are drawn over the front of the packand secured to the flaps in the usual manner, passing over the side barsof the frame and being located in the grooves H and I2.

Thus part of the packed canopy will be located in the pocket l5 and,passing over the partition [3 which is reenforced and maintained in formby the top cross bar of the frame in any of the forms of Figures 6, 7 or8, the other portion will be located in the other transverse pocket l6while the lines will be located in the pocket H, a portion, however,passing over the reenforced partition l4, and of course at the sides ofthe pack portions of the canopy in both of the pockets l5 and I6 will belocated in the longitudinal pockets 21. The result of this packing inthis form of pack will be that the canopy and, indeed, the suspensionlines will be prevented from shifting either longitudinally ortransversely of the pack.

An additional positioning action will take place for the elastic cords 9and ID are of course drawn tightly around the pack and they will coactwith the cross bars of the frame and with the partitions to maintain thecanopy and suspension lines in position because they resist thestretching action which is necessary if the portion of the canopy thatis in one pocket is to shift to the other pocket. And they thus exertpressure on the portions of the canopy that overlie the partitions.

It will be noted that in this pack the portion that projects rearwardlytoward the back of the user is entirely free of any portion of thestiffening frame for the frame is located substantially at thefront ofthe pack to an extent at least equal to the depth of the grooves II andI2. The result is that, while the pack possesses all of the virtues of aframe stiffened pack it also posesses all of the advantages of a softpack and it possesses none of the disadvantages of either.

Moreover, because of the ability of the frame to flex and articulate thepack will adapt itself to the movements of the user Without impeding hismovements and it will return to its normal form.

When permitted to do so by the movements of the user, this tendency toreturn to its normal form will be augmented by the resiliency that. islent to the pack by the compression of the canopy in packing.

It is of course to be understood that changes in many details of formand material may be made without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe claimed invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a parachute pack having a back and a front, stiffening means forthe pack remote from the back of the pack toward the front of the pack,said means including cross bars extending transversely of the pack, anend section hinged to one cross bar, and independent end pieces hingedto the other cross bar and secured to the sides of the pack.

2. In a parachute pack having a back and a front, stiffening means forthe pack located remote from the back of the pack toward the front ofthe pack, said means including cross bars extending transversely of thepack and independent side bars secured to said cross bars and secured atthe sides of the pack.

3. In a parachute pack having a back and a front, stiffening means forthe pack located remote from the back of the pack toward the front ofthe pack, said means including cross bars extending transversely of thepack and independent side bars attached to said cross bars and securedat the sides of the pack.

SPENCER W. SEVERANCE. JOSEPH J. RUTKOWSKL REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,899,661 Bird Feb. 28, 19332,005,743 Hoffman June 25, 1935 2,300,428 Manson Nov. 3, 1942 2,374,274Eoff Apr. 24, 1945

